Epoxies are widely used because of their strength which is a result of their crosslinked, thermoset nature. A consequence of this thermoset nature is that they are intractable and unable to be melted or dissolved. To avoid the intractability of the cross-linked epoxy, researchers are exploring the use of this maleimide/furan Diels-Alder system to be incorporated into polymer networks to generate reversible materials. But the solution is inadequate for some applications either by 1) not using epoxy functionality to generate thermoset networks or by 2) using precursors which are solid and/or that generate colored materials.
The present invention provides an alternative method to solve these problems by the use of the siloxane-linked maleimide core. The flexible and colorless tether produces a color free and liquid bis-epoxy that can be cured by any diamine to result in a colorless and thermally reversible epoxy network.
Any feature or combination of features described herein are included within the scope of the present invention provided that the features included in any such combination are not mutually inconsistent as will be apparent from the context, this specification, and the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art. Additional advantages and aspects of the present invention are apparent in the following detailed description and claims.